Posts tagged “constitutional violations”

That’s right, kiddies, copying is not theft! Time to forget the propaganda that you are fed every time you pop a dvd into the player. Oh, it is still a crime thanks to our draconian Digital Millennium Copyright Act, but it is not theft, so don’t feel like you are stealing, because you aren’t. Case in point: Nina Paley. Watch below as she describes how she makes a good living as a digital artist living without copyright. She is an exemplar for the digital age. After the jump, you can actually watch her feature film that she created and gave to the world, free of charge, via the Creative Commons’ Share Alike license.

Democracy Now! interview with Elliot Madison, the New York City social worker who was arrested for tweeting the location of police actions during the G-20 riots in Pittsburgh last month. (28:23)

This is some must-see TV if there ever was such a thing, but don’t expect to see this interview on any of the mainstream media networks. They are (almost completely) ignoring the story [CNN (the singular hit)- Fox News – MSNBC – ABC News – CBS News]. This compares to those same news organizations cacophonous coverage of the Iranian “twitter” uprising this summer [CNN – Fox News – MSNBC – ABC News – CBS News]. Again I ask, if it is good enough for Iranians, why isn’t it good enough for Americans?

You can watch today’s full episode of Democracy Now!, as always, in the right sidebar. For those of you that want to see with just how much ease our government can swoop into your home, steal your possessions and detain you in your underwear, here are Mr. Madison’s motion (PDF) and his lawyer’s supporting declaration (PDF), courtesy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; attached to the declaration are copies of the search warrant, an inventory of the seized items, and the original criminal complaint.

A self-described New York City anarchist has been accused of tweeting the location of police officers to protesters trying to evade them during the Group of 20 economic summit in Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania State Police arrested Elliot Madison alleging he used Twitter to direct the movement of protesters and inform them about law enforcement actions at last month’s summit.Associated Press Wire Service

There is so much to say about this that there is actually little to say. Forgive my Yogi Berra-ness. I’ll just pass along the thoughts of a Huffington Post commentator:

By the way, the Iranian protesters tweeted the actions and events surrounding their stolen election, and we cheered them on. Funny how suddenly Iranians have more rights than Americans in Pittsburgh. The charges better be dropped, and an apology from the police department forthcoming. I’m not holding my breath.Huffington Post user “bugsbonzai”

Don’t forget, the Obama administration thinks so much of the power of Twitter that they actually asked them to delay maintenance to help keep the flow of information coming from inside Iran. So, I ask you, if it is good enough for Iranians, why is it not good enough for Americans?

Perhaps now would be a good time to think about joining the ACLU and the EFF if you haven’t already done so. Along with the Center for Constitutional Rights, these organizations are the last line of defense for these citizens who are out there in the world, making full use of their natural rights and running into the road blocks thrown up by our government. This brings a close to our impromptu pledge drive. Please feel free to move about the cabin.